Box Office: ‘Venom 3’ Makes $8.5 Million in Previews, Lowest of the Trilogy

For the last time, Tom Hardy’s Venom is swinging his way to the box office.

Sony’s “Venom: The Last Dance,” the final movie in the Spider-Man villain’s trilogy, has made $8.5 million in Thursday previews at the box office so far.

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The threequel is on track to make $65 million in its opening weekend, which would be the lowest debut of the trilogy, comprised of the original 2018 movie “Venom” and its 2021 sequel “Venom: Let There Be Carnage.” Even though the “Venom” movies don’t cross over with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in the MCU, they’ve proven to bring out their hardcore fans, despite being unpopular with critics.

The first movie launched with $10 million in previews before making $80 in its opening weekend. It went on to earn a massive $856 million worldwide, paving the way for a sequel and more Spider-Man villain spinoffs. “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” ramped things up with $11.6 million in previews and a $90 million opening — during the pandemic, no less, when many theaters were still shuttered. It climbed its way to $506 million worldwide.

Now, Hardy and writer-director Kelly Marcel are sending Venom off into the symbiote sunset with “The Last Dance.” Picking up right after “Let There Be Carnage,” Hardy’s Eddie Brock and his parasitic pal Venom are fugitives on the run from the U.S. government and alien monsters from Venom’s home world. The cast includes Juno Temple, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rhys Ifans, Peggy Lu, Alanna Ubach, Stephen Graham, Cristo Fernandez and more. The movie carries a $120 production budget, so it’ll need some super-staying power to become successful at the box office.

Also opening this weekend is the Vatican-set drama “Conclave,” starring Ralph Fiennes as a cardinal who must determine the successor to the recently deceased Pope. It’s targeting $4 million to $6 million in its opening weekend and made $500,000 in previews.

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